UFC: Colin Fletcher says he will 'light up' team-mate Norman Parke in TUF The Smashes final

Lightweights Norman Parke and Colin Fletcher, and welterweight Brad Scott, all
finalists in TUF The Smashes, seek a 3-fight contract in the UFC and prize
money of $100, 000 on Friday night. Parke and Fletcher, who have been
team-mates but now face each other, spill the beans on their time in the TUF
house to Gareth A Davies. Brad Scott faces Australian Robert Whittaker. The
final of TUF The Smashes takes place at the Gold Coast Convention Centre,
Queensland.

Face off: British MMA fighters Norman Parke and Colin Fletcher face off ahead of TUF final

Very exciting. Pretty much every up-and-coming MMA fighter’s dream, I would have thought.

You put your ethnicity down as pasty white?

If you put a photo up of us, it will look like an x-ray.

What would it mean to you to win the glass TUF trophy, $100,000 and a three-fight contract with the UFC?

I’d be over the moon because basically I’ve run out of baking trays in the house and I would love to make a little pasta bake with my new glass tray.

Is it difficult going into the final against another guy from the UK team or something you’ve got to get over?

Yeah. Me and Norman, out of everyone in the house, were the closest really. We flew over to Australia together for the series and filming, we’ve shared a bunk bed, we’ve met up in London but at the end of the day I’m not fighting Norman as a personal gain for myself. It’s for the security of my family and ultimately that comes before everything else. I can be his best friend up until the moment of the fight. As soon as the fight begins I’m going to look to finish him as violently as anyone else I was going to fight until the end. I’m going to be on fire and I’m going to try and light him up.

Ross Pearson, the UFC fighter who was your head coach on the TUF series, obviously had the same thing against Andre Winner in his TUF final three years ago. Have you spoken to Pearson about it?

Not really. He did mention it but I didn’t ask him basically because I don’t care that much really. If it was down to me personally, I wouldn’t really want to fight Norm but what drives me forward is that I fight anywhere, anytime for nothing so the only difference is how much I can get out of this for my family and that’s ultimately why I’m doing it. This opportunity has to come home with me as I need the security for my family.

Was it tough being in the house? Obviously, you’re a natural entertainer but you have a family at home and you’re stuck in what is virtually a frat house. Was that difficult at times?

Being away from the wife and kids is hard at times but living with the lads was no problem at all. I’ve never bothered about anybody in there. You know how they’re all highly strung and stuff, I was never bothered about that, just took it with a pinch of salt. I got on with the lads. I expected it to be a lot more tense and dramatic than it really was. Although they might be different in the interview rooms, everyone was pleasant to your face. It was quite easy, really. There were no real points where everyone was at each other.

Obviously you love dressing up and it comes naturally to you. You recently did a photo shoot for Lonsdale in the House of Horrors in Leeds for a story in Fighters Only Magazine. That must have been right up your street?

It was. I was just disappointed that the Wolf Boy had gone for his dinner.

The UFC has announced that they’ll be coming over to Wembley Arena on Feb 16. Would you want to be involved in that if you win on December 14?

Yeah, it would be great to fight in front of a British crowd. I’d definitely be interested in that and definitely something I’d talk to the UFC about. Fingers crossed if everything goes well and there are no injuries and stuff like that. I’d be happy to go straight into a UFC event because it’s good to show the UK fans my appreciation for the support I’ve been given. It’s astonishing, really, so I’d like to fight basically for them.

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Norman Parke, 25, Bushmills, Antrim. Record 16-2

What does it mean to you to have got to the TUF finale?

It means a lot. Over the last three to four years I’ve dedicated myself to this. Before that, it was just a hobby. But once I’d won 10 fights, my coach sat down with me and told me I could actually make a career of this. I wasn’t too sure. I dibbled and dabbled at other things and then thought I’d put my head down and just go for it. That was a few years ago. It means a lot now. The last year I’ve just dedicated my life and just focused on that and nothing else. To get to the TUF final is just amazing.

And what would it mean to you to be able to lift that glass TUF trophy, secure a three-fight contract and $100,000?

That would mean the world to me. It means everything that you’ve worked for the last few years has just paid off. It would be a great weight off my shoulders. I have huge support here on the Irish side, and most of all I don’t want to let them down. I want to put everything on the line. I’m focusing properly on my training, and getting the weight down properly so I can go in there and fight the best I can.

During the filming of the TUF series, no one is allowed to contact anyone in the outside world. But you sent a text to your girlfriend. No one has ever looked quite as terrified as you when UFC president Dana White came after you for sending that text.

People who have left or been kicked out for less than that. There was a couple of people who had lost their fights and were messing about. The boys got the phone and they asked me to use it so I used it and that could have been the biggest mistake of my life. I thought we were going home. That’s why I looked that way because I thought everything I’d worked for in the last few years had gone and id never be able to step foot in the UFC again. So that was really emotional for me.

You could see it was going through your head…

You feel like you’ve let everyone around you down for breaking the rules and that’s going through your head. I didn’t think of it at the time, I just thought I’m going to text my girl and that nearly cost me my career. It was deadly serious.

How did you find living in the house?

Most of the time, to be honest, it was quite boring. The only time it was fun was when we went to the gym. We went to the gym and we’d come back and have something to eat then we’d go back for fight picks, and so on. Whenever we’d finished training we were just laying about the house and messing about. Most of the time it was a bit boring because we only had a book to write in and that was it. I definitely learnt a lot about myself as a person.

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Brad Scott, 23, Melksham, England. Record 8-1

First of all, the obvious question, what does it mean to you to get to the final of TUF The Smashes?

It means everything. Being in the final takes me one step closer to my dream of fighting for the UFC.

Talk me through how you found living in the house. At times people say it gets on top of you. Was it an ordeal or did you just enjoy the entire experience?

It had its ups and downs. Obviously you miss your friends and family, girlfriend. You miss your own home and the comforts of your home. You’re surrounded by guys who potentially you could be fighting. It’s full of testosterone. At times I was living the dream. I was waking up, eating the food I want, training hard with top coaches and then other times I just wanted to be at home snuggled up in bed, watching tv and eating chocolate. It’s ups and downs.

Obviously, the series pitched Australia versus the UK, and the other two British fighters are going to have to fight against each other, having been in the same team. Is fighting an Australian any easier?

Erm, yes. I suppose. The Australian may cause a few difficulties for me as I'm going to get booed back to England as I walk out in front of that crowd. It makes it easier in a way because there's no pressure on me. I haven’t got to impress anyone.

The win guarantees you $100,000 and a three-fight deal in the UFC. Is it something you think about every waking moment at the moment?

I try not to actually. I try not to think about it at all. I just try to make myself a better martial artist. I try to make myself a better opponent as well so I can take him out. I try to emulate his style so I can counter his game plan and take him out.

You are trained by Paul Sutherland. Presumably you’ve been doing some sparring with fellow Brit Che Mills, who fights the American Matt Riddle at Wembley Arena on Feb 16?

Yes, I’ve done plenty of sparring with Che. It’s been a real help because he's better than Rob Whittaker, but someone who fights in a very similar style.

What's been the reception been like back at home from friends and family about the TUF series. You've come across as a very lovable man with a very easy sense of humor...

Well I'm really laid back anyway. I'm so laid back, I'm almost laid down on my back. The reception has been good. When I'm doing an MMA event that's when I sort of remember I've been on the show. Everyone comes up to me and starts wishing me luck. That's weird to me, that's never happened to me before. People wanting photos and wanting autographs and that. It's all completely new.